{Review} Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden
by Tabitha Suzuma
Publisher: Simon Pulse 
Pages: 454
Source: Purchased
Available as of June 26, 2012
Read: October 2012
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A shocking, heartbreaking story of taboo romance that’s as compelling as it is controversial.Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As de facto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: A love this devastating has no happy ending.

I read so many great reviews for this book and picked it up knowing what it was about. Tabitha Suzuma wrote a novel that took me by surprise and made me question right and wrong.

A boy and a girl. A brother and sister. Thirteen months apart in age. Closer to each other than most siblings. Their mom is absent, leaving them to care for their three younger siblings. What neither of them expects is to fall in love with the other. The pull becoming something they can't ignore.

I think I'm one of the few people who didn't love this book. After all the rave reviews I expected to be pulled in, dying to read the next page, but I wasn't. I counted my pages wondering how many I had until the next chapter appeared. It didn't grip me. It was a good read, but not a book that left me wanting more. I didn't see the ending coming. It was unexpected and took me by surprise. The siblings, Lochan and Maya, had a lot on their plate having to raise three kids. Lochan was by far my favorite of the two. He was cautious, had social anxiety, but it worked for him. I found Maya to be forceful. She had friends outside of her home life and she went for what she wanted. 

Overall, Forbidden was a good read, but it didn't keep me interested. Because of the the content, I'm not going to say whether or not I recommend this book. For me though, it was definitely a borrow.